A small group of climate change protesters refused to leave Parliament’s Lower House yesterday, after earlier pretending to be on a group tour.

The international rally group Extinction Rebellion was responsible for the disturbance, with 13 members taking part in the sit-in about 2pm. The group livestreamed the protest and wanted to meet Premier Steven Marshall.

They were forcibly removed by police and protective services officers about 4pm.

…

Extinction Rebellion member Tiahni Adamson said the group’s call to action was an attempt to “disrupt life as we know it until people come to the party”.

What I find intriguing is that the Extinction Rebellion climate protest was so small. But perhaps even South Australians are starting to get fed up with the difficulties of being Australia’s most committed greens.

I have a vivid memory of economic hardship from my visit to South Australia two years ago.

Two charity volunteers, off duty firemen, were selling calendars in a shopping centre, to raise money for emergency services. I didn’t want a calendar (pictures of half naked guys wearing fireman hats is not my thing), but I wanted to donate to a worthy cause.

To my shock one of the firemen held open a big pocket sewn into the top of his trouser leg. I asked “where is your collection tin?”

The fireman explained “We don’t use collection tins anymore. Too many thieves keep snatching the tins and running off with them.”

This is a recent change. In most places in Australia, firemen and other charities still use collection tins. But in South Australia, the absolute epicentre of Australia’s climate movement, emergency service volunteers use special pockets sewn to their clothes to collect donations, to prevent swarms of thieves from running off with the charity money.